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Final Reflection

Thomas C. Roland

Department Of Health Science, California State University, San Bernardino

HSCI 6200: Leadership

Dr. Mshigeni

December 12, 2020

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1. Before beginning the master’s in public health program and prior to this class, my

understanding of leadership as it relates to public health was rudimentary. Most of my

understanding of leadership in public health was based off what I observed on the news

and from watching interviews with officials from the CDC and leaders of county public

health departments. I was completely unaware of how intricate leadership in the public

health setting is and how, at times, complex it can be. Most of my understanding of

leadership in general was related to the workplace setting and was quite spartan. I

understood leadership as something in terms of someone being in charge and passing

down orders.

2. After completing this course in leadership my understanding of leadership in public

health is far more advanced than at the beginning. My general understanding of

leadership and what it means to me has also changed. Upon completion of this course, I

understand that there are multiple definitions about what it means to be a leader and what

leadership is. In Mshigeni (2020), multiple definitions of leadership were explained, but

one drew my attention more; Leadership is “the process of influencing others to

understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of

facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” (Yukl,

2010). After completing this course, I realize that leadership is more than simply being in

charge. Leadership is about leading from within and working together to accomplish a

shared goal. Additionally, leadership is about motivating everyone around you and

involving everyone to accomplish the common goal.

3. A. The concepts on leadership I learned from this class will no doubt guide my career as

a general surgeon. While all of the concepts covered in class were important,
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transformational leadership and ethical leadership will best guide me in my endeavors.

Holsinger (2018) explained that transformational leadership emphasizes efforts that result

in positive changes in individuals, thus increasing their moral and inspiration. This is

particularly important as a surgeon. I must be able to take my team and make them feel

important, inspired, and motivated to do the best work that they can. The best operation

will result if everyone is motivated and inspired to do so. Additionally, ethical leadership

is especially important as a surgeon. I must act ethically and do what is right for my

patient so they receive the best care. I must uphold the Hippocratic oath and do no harm,

which means acting ethically and exhibiting outstanding morals.

B. Similar to part A, I see transformational leadership being used most in my personal

life as well. For me transformational leadership is such an ideal and applicable form of

leadership. The idea of motivating those around you and getting them to see the good in

themselves to achieve the best results is an effective way of getting things accomplished.

In many instances I wish that this was something I experienced more often in my

personal life. It is often draining trying motivate yourself and realizing the good within

you on your own, it is not impossible, just sometimes difficult. Knowing this, I challenge

myself to motivate those around me and get them to see the best version of themselves,

even if it is a simple task. People are often capable of great and wonderful things,

sometimes they just need someone to make them realize this.

4. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the leadership displayed by public health officials and

the system in general has been interesting. In the United States I have witnessed a clear

distinction between effective and ineffective leadership in public health and leadership in

general. In essence, we have witnessed effective public health leadership when it comes
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to passing mandates, lock down orders, and rapid information dissemination.

Additionally, there has been decent cooperation amongst public health leaders and their

subordinates. Where public health leadership and leadership in general has failed is from

the ethical basis of leading by example and the way which information was disseminated.

Most officials have done an excellent job of leading by example, but there have been

instances where officials disobeyed their own mandates and these small instances sent a

clear message across the nation, as in the case of Governor Gavin Newsom dining in with

fellow officials at a restaurant. While he is not a public health official, he has a crucial

role in public health leadership. Newsom is responsible for issuing mandates based on

public health recommendations and setting the example for the state. At the start of the

pandemic, the nation as a whole experienced rapid information dissemination, which I

wholeheartedly agree with. The problem with this is not necessarily within the leadership,

but the failure of the leadership to realize the audience that the information is being

delivered to. A significant number of individuals in the United States lack a standard

understanding of the scientific research process and lack a general understanding of

biology and virology. The resulting effects have been quite disastrous as information

changes with new scientific research. These individuals suddenly believe that any

information presented is false and deliberately misleading because as new research takes

place, the information changes, which is normal. Public health leaders should have

considered this and released information less rapidly as to not confuse their audience.

Overall during the pandemic, I have seen mostly appropriate displays of public health

leadership in action. From coordinating resources and mostly acting ethically, to getting
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the information out and trying to get everyone to work together.  I am hopeful that these

displays of leadership will continue and contribute to ending the pandemic.

5. A. My favorite topic in class was the section covered on transformational leadership. For

me, transformational leadership was an ideal form of leadership. The idea of inspiring

positive changes in people and getting them to be the best version of themselves for the

common goal is ideal in any setting. As Holsinger (2018) explains, “leadership relies on

charisma-the ability to connect with followers in a manner that produces remarkable

performance and attainment.” This resonates with me in particular because the best

leaders tend to be charismatic and thus are able to inspire their followers and achieve the

common goal. This also goes in hand with the idea that public health leaders should

embrace innovation and welcome creativity. Embracing innovation and welcoming

creativity means working with and transforming your followers to realize their own

innovative ideas and embracing them to bring them forward.

B. Of all the topics covered in class, my absolute least favorite was the section that

covered morals and ethics. My problem does not concern the concept of morals and

ethics, but rather the discussions that take place concerning what is moral and what is

ethical. Still withstanding, you simply cannot teach someone to be moral or ethical. You

can, however, teach them the concepts of morals and ethics and hope they will take in

these concepts and be a moral and ethical person. This concept is also connected with the

way morals and ethics can be objective and subjective. Objectively we know that killing,

stealing, genocide, and the like are completely evil and unethical, but there lies a

subjectivity within this. For example, we knew then and now that what the Nazi’s did

was completely immoral, unethical, and atrocious. In the Nazi’s minds though, what they
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were doing was seen as a moral and ethical, they believed they were saving Germany

from “blutverschmutzung” and other “evils”. For me, this is a concept that is often

overlooked when discussing these concepts and it is important to explain this when

discussing morals and ethics.

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References

Holsinger, E. L., & Carlton, J. W. (2018). Leadership for public health: theory and practice.

Health Administration Press.

Mshigeni, S. (2020, September 3). The Nature of Effective Public Health Leadership

[PowerPoint Slides]. Blackboard.

https://csusb.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_141526_1/cl/outline